Meet Laura Burke

What is your current role in GDG?

I’m Principal Engineer / Head of onshore renewables and geohazards

What path led you here?

I studied general civil engineering but decided to focus on engineering geology in my masters as I found it such an interesting subject. I love being outdoors and am passionate about renewable energy so a lot of my career has involved geotechnical and site work for windfarms and roads projects. I started in GDG five years ago, taking on small design packages relating to wind and road projects. I have been supported by the wider team to develop, what is now, a very busy department in the company.

Tell us about an Engineer who inspires you?

I couldn’t pick one but I’m always in awe of the breadth of technical and commercial experience held the GDG director team, there is never a problem that someone at GDG has never come across before.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Clients often reach out to GDG when they have a problem on their site such as a slope of a bearing failure. My favourite thing at work is doing geo-detective work to understand what it was about the geology or geo-mechanics that caused the issue and how we can solve the problem.

What advice do you have for women interested in pursuing a career in engineering?

Don’t be shy, the industry needs more women!

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